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Numbers 13:17-33
Contemporary English Version
Numbers 13:17-33
Contemporary English Version
17 Before Moses sent them into Canaan, he said:
After you go through the Southern Desert of Canaan, continue north into the hill country 18 and find out what those regions are like. Be sure to remember how many people live there, how strong they are, 19-20 and if they live in open towns or walled cities. See if the land is good for growing crops and find out what kinds of trees grow there. It's time for grapes to ripen, so try to bring back some of the fruit that grows there.
21 The twelve men left to explore Canaan from the Zin Desert in the south all the way to the town of Rehob near Lebo-Hamath in the north. 22 As they went through the Southern Desert, they came to the town of Hebron, which was seven years older than the Egyptian town of Zoan. In Hebron, they saw the three Anakim[a] clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai. 23-24 When they got to Bunch Valley,[b] they cut off a branch with such a huge bunch of grapes, that it took two men to carry it on a pole. That's why the place was called Bunch Valley. Along with the grapes, they also took back pomegranates[c] and figs.
The Men Report Back to the People
25 After exploring the land of Canaan for 40 days, 26 the twelve men returned to Kadesh in the Paran Desert and told Moses, Aaron, and the people what they had seen. They showed them the fruit 27 and said:
Look at this fruit! The land we explored is rich with milk and honey. 28 But the people who live there are strong, and their cities are large and walled. We even saw the three Anakim[d] clans. 29 Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites[e] live along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
30 Caleb calmed down the crowd and said, “Let's go and take the land. I know we can do it!”
31 But the other men replied, “Those people are much too strong for us.” 32 Then they started spreading rumors and saying, “We won't be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants. 33 (A) In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 13.22 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very large people (see Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21).
- 13.23,24 Bunch Valley: Or “Eshcol Valley.”
- 13.23,24 pomegranates: A bright red fruit that looks like an apple.
- 13.28 Anakim: See the note at 13.22.
- 13.29 Amalekites … Hittites … Jebusites … Amorites … Canaanites: These people lived in Canaan before the Israelites.
Numbers 13:17-33
New International Version
Numbers 13:17-33
New International Version
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan,(A) he said, “Go up through the Negev(B) and on into the hill country.(C) 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.(D)” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)(E)
21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin(F) as far as Rehob,(G) toward Lebo Hamath.(H) 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,(I) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,(J) the descendants of Anak,(K) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)(L) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[a](M) they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates(N) and figs.(O) 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days(P) they returned from exploring the land.(Q)
Report on the Exploration
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh(R) in the Desert of Paran.(S) There they reported to them(T) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.(U) 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!(V) Here is its fruit.(W) 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.(X) We even saw descendants of Anak(Y) there.(Z) 29 The Amalekites(AA) live in the Negev; the Hittites,(AB) Jebusites(AC) and Amorites(AD) live in the hill country;(AE) and the Canaanites(AF) live near the sea and along the Jordan.(AG)”
30 Then Caleb(AH) silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”(AI) 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report(AJ) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours(AK) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.(AL) 33 We saw the Nephilim(AM) there (the descendants of Anak(AN) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers(AO) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24.
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